Rktcr ("rocket car") is a physics-based action-platformer-turned-puzzle-platformer; that is, it's an action game meant to be played thoughtfully at much slower than real-time. Rktcr is played in a side-view world consisting of zones linked by portals. The goal of the game is to construct a journey that collects the 14 gems scattered throughout the world and returns to the start portal as quickly as possible. Players can pause, rewind, and slow time in order to carefully perfect each segment of their journey.

When creating challenge levels in Rktcr, you have a variety of options for platforms beyond polygons. In the second part of my tutorial series on level editing Rktcr I cover three other options: arcgons, subdivision-smoothed polygons, and level set painting.

Each lends itself to a different sort of level design and layout. In the rest of this news post I will briefly describe each; for more detail check out the full tutorial.

Arc-gons

Arc-gons are polygons with circular arcs at each corner. These are good for precision control of ramps and jumps.

Smoothed Polygons

Smoothed polygons are the result of applying a subdivide-and-smooth algorithm to a selected polygon, resulting a more organic "gooey" style of curved platform. The nature of the subdivision gives you less precise control than of arc-gons, but the resulting forms are more organic.

Painted Levelsets

While the other primitives I've discussed are connected to a control polygon, Rktcr also allows one to specify level geometry as a contour of a painted image. This allows for crazy, natural, almost "wet" forms, with lots of fragments and splatters (if desired).